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MARK’S GOSPEL…PASSING BY – 17

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Mark 6:45-52 NIV

[45] “Immediately, Jesus  made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd. [46] After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. [47] Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. [48] He saw the disciples straining at the oars because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn, he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, [49] but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, [50] because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately, he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” [51] Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, [52] for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

For the disciples, life with Jesus was an adventure on steroids! What would He do next? No matter what happened, no matter what fix they got into, Jesus had a miracle.

The disciples were battling a storm on the lake. Jesus was on the shore, watching them struggle. So, what did He do? He hitched up His robe and set off across the water to go them. Just like that!

There’s more to this story than a seemingly simple miracle. Mark wove into this event a few words that open up a window into the meaning of Jesus’ actions.

According to Mark, Jesus did something that made no sense in the context of the story unless we read it in its broader use in Scripture.

“He was about TO PASS BY them…” Why would Jesus have done that if He had wanted to help them?

Now, let’s examine these words in other contexts…

Moses…

Exodus 33:18-19 NIV

[18] “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” [19] And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness TO PASS IN FRONT OF YOU, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 

Exodus 34:5-6 NIV

[5] “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. [6] And HE PASSED IN FRONT of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…”

Elijah…

1 Kings 19:9, 11-12 NIV

[9] “There, he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”…

[11] The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for THE LORD IS ABOUT TO PASS BY.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind , there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. [12] After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

So, what was that all about? The expression “pass by” hints at something big…some revelation of God’s character, in Moses’ case, or God’s ways in Elijah’s case that is much more than God simply crossing in front of these men. 

To Moses, God revealed His “chesed”, His covenant love,  so that Moses could appeal to His mercy to forgive Israel’s sin and reinstate them as His covenant people. 

To Elijah, God revealed His ways, not in raw natural power but in the power of His whispered word. He instructed Elijah to go back and carry out His commands as part of His plans through which He would work out His purposes for Israel. 

So, what did Jesus want to reveal to His disciples when He PASSED BY them?

Let’s look at their reaction. 

Mark 6:49-50, 52 NIV

[49]…”but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, [50] because they all saw him and were terrified…

[52] … They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

…and His words, “It is I!” or rather, ’I AM!” Jesus, what are you saying!…A revelation of His true identity, the “I AM!”

How terrible for the disciples! They missed the whole point of Jesus’ revelation because of their unbelief! Despite the miracle of the multipled loaves, they had no expectation that Jesus would save them because He was Yahweh, I AM. They had not yet learned to entrust themselves to Him as God in every detail of their lives.

They didn’t see the familiar figure of Jesus. They saw a ghost! What were they expecting?

This story speaks a loud message to us. When we are in trouble and we ask for help, what do we expect? A ghost? Does Jesus answer us with a  phantom answer or with the real thing? Is He really God or not?

Let’s give Jesus credit for who He really is to us!

Matthew 7:9-11 NIV

[9] “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? [11] If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Jesus is looking for real faith, not “situational” faith or “conditional” faith…not the faith that suits our circumstances but the faith that recognises “I AM” in everything.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – WHO IS THIS?

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WHO IS THIS?

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-

This could be a tense situation. A violent storm on the lake; the twelve disciples battling to keep their little craft afloat while their Rabbi, who was supposed to care about them, was asleep in the stern, oblivious of their danger and His! It was perfectly natural for them to be annoyed. Had Jesus been an ordinary rabbi, they would have been justified in their accusation of Him. Didn’t He care that they were at the point of sinking? They did not yet have enough evidence, or realise fully who He was.

This isn’t just another story about the miracles Jesus did. This is one of those defining moments when light begins to dawn on the mind. Jesus’ counter accusation, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith?” puts the incident in perspective. Who was responsible for the storm? Did God whip it up or was it the result of some demonic “water spirit” plot to drown them? Could it have been a natural phenomenon that God used to drive home two lessons: for Jesus a lesson in trust and for the disciples the exposure of unbelief?

Accusation and counter accusation! What was the difference in their perspectives? The disciples were embroiled in their present circumstances. For them, there was no thought of the bigger picture. By contrast, Jesus always took the long look and related everything to the Father’s love and the Father’s purpose. Going to the other side was part of the Father’s purpose and so “going down” was not part of the equation.

This is what it meant to be ECHAD with God. Jesus spent so much time with the Father that He knew exactly where He was going, and He knew where He was taking His disciples – towards leadership in a world-wide mission. There was no possibility that a storm on the lake would take them all out. There was too much at stake. These disciples still had a lot to learn.